


Pokévengers GO!

by Cena316AA



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pokemon GO, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M, Pokemon - Freeform, Pokemon GO - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-12
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-07-23 12:29:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7463274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cena316AA/pseuds/Cena316AA
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Avengers get into the Pokémon GO hype after Peter introduces them to the app. Tony becomes absorbed in this new Pokemon world. Steve sees this as a chance to get closer to him. The problem is he doesn't even own a smartphone. Time for this old timer to enter the new millennia, and what better way than asking a millennial for help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm succumbing to the Pokemon GO hype

He shouldn't be using his powers like this, he knew that, and, yet, he ripped off his sweatshirt to reveal his red superhero outfit underneath and stuffed the oversized gray piece of clothing into his backpack. With only a single subject notebook he used to take notes--his notes consisted of doodles of new weapon concepts for his outfit--and a single pen, the blue backpack was nearly empty, so his outerwear slipped inside with ease. 

Now, donning his red and blue spandex, Peter placed the mask over his head, hiding his face from the world. He grabbed his pack and strapped it over one shoulder.

"Alright. Let's go!" He jumped onto a dumpster and leaped to the wall, sticking on it with his webbed fingertips. He scaled up the wall quickly until his fingers reached the edge of the roof. 

Once his two feet were firmly standing on the roof, he took out his smartphone and had a look around. The light from the screen illuminated his red mask, and the jingle seemed louder in the vastness of the sky. 

"Over there!" he exclaimed as his phone warned him of something within his radius. Peter, letting the phone's camera be his eyes, followed the compass (he had to swing to an office building six buildings away) until the map the phone had been portraying was replaced with another image. 

"Dratini, Dratini. There you are." A smirk appeared on his boyish face as he prepared to capture the blue, snake-like creature on his phone. Dratini bore an innocent looking face, but Peter glared at it as if it had murdered his parents (note: their death was unrelated to Pokémon GO, as far as anyone knows). With a flick of his finger, he threw a red and white Pokéball at the curious Dratini. 

Missed.

"Fu--" Peter stopped himself before the word escaped. There was nobody around to listen to his cursing, but his Aunt May had caused this habit in him.

Another flick. Another miss. Another one. Miss again. 

He gave a few more flicks and was worried Dratini was going to escape him right under his grasp when the round object finally connected with the majestic creature. He stared at his phone, his eyes close to it as if he were about to kiss his lover. Unbeknownst to Peter, cold beads of sweat had started forming on his temples and streamed down his cheeks. His hands tightened around his phone, until

"Yes! I caught a Dratini!" He punched the air and released the tight grip on his phone (a few more seconds and his super strength would have shattered the poor object into a million pieces).

His celebration was short-lived, however, as a certain silhouette appeared on his phone. 

"No way," he whispered. "No way!" 

This silhouette had never appeared on his phone before. In fact, he hadn't heard of anybody who had come this close to this creature. It was mouselike, like a kangaroo rat, with a long, slim tail, and, even though the silhouette was black, he knew what color it was. 

Pink.

Using his web shooters, Peter swung his way across the tall New York buildings, his eyes never leaving his phone. It was difficult, as Peter was now finding out, to swing and Pokémon, and it was probably just as dangerous, but he could not let this one escape him. 

"Wait 'til Harry sees this one. He's gonna be so jealous." And he was right. Anybody that'd see that he had captured the illustrious Mew would be jealous. This was the rarest of the rares and difficult to catch. So much so that rumors had circulated this particular Pokémon wasn't even in the game.

But, now Peter would have proof. 

With Mew, he would become the Pokémon Master.

With these thoughts circulating in his head, and with his ever growing excitement as the map indicated that Mew was within his reach, Peter came to realize why exactly he should not be using his phone while swinging. 

The window shattered into small diamonds making a small, tinkling sound as they landed on the floor. Of course, before the tinkling came the loud _CRASH_ of the window being fractured into those many diamonds. 

Peter rolled to his back, the pieces of glass crunching beneath his slender body. With a groan, he picked himself up and brought his gloved hands to his masked head. The throbbing in his head was already subsiding (thanks to his quick-thinking, he had protected his head with his forearms). He looked down at his arms. They had taken the most damage. His suit was torn in this area and red scratches appeared on his white skin. Blood flowed from some of the more pronounced marks. 

"Aw, man! I had just gotten my suit fixed. I'm going to have to stitch this up again."

"I think that's the least of your worries right now."

Peter recognized that voice. He was afraid to come face-to-face with its owner, so he kept his gaze down focusing on his bleeding arms. 

"Parker."

_Still looking down_

"Parker!"

_Not looking up_

"PARKER!"

"Yes, sir!"

He looked up.

Tony Stark wasn't the only one there. Bruce Banner was shooting him a compassionate look while Natasha was doing quite the opposite. 

A loud, gruffy laugh came from his right side. Peter turned to see the God of Thunder with a large mug in his hand, laughing loudly. 

"Sir! What was that? Is everyone okay?" 

"Everything's fine, Vision." 

The magenta-faced A.I. appeared from the top of the stairs and came down to join the rest of the Avengers. He looked at the shattered window and the young man picking pieces of glass from his red and blue spandex, and a worried expression crossed his robotic face. "What happened?"

"The Man of Spiders clashed with the clear crystal!" Thor erupted into a roar of laughter once again. 

"It's Spider-Man, and it was an accident." He said the last thing to Tony. "I was trying to capture a Mew and--" Peter looked at his empty hands. "My phone?! Where's my phone?!"

"It's over there." 

Peter looked in the direction of Natasha's index finger and walked toward the area it motioned to.

There it was. Screen shattered, but still functioning. The map had disappeared, and it was now displaying a pink, floating Pokémon. 

"Mew." He reached for the phone.

"You break my window, and you're not even going to apologize?" Tony picked up the glowing phone. 

Peter, frantic now, stood up straight and placed his arms straight down his sides. "I'm sorry! Please, let me have my phone back. I need to capture that Mew. Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease . . ."

Tony had stopped listening to the boy. His cinnamon-brown eyes glowed under the phone's bright screen. "Parker," he said calmly. "What is this?"

Peter, taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor could only stammer. "Huh? Wha--? Oh, it's um, it's Pokémon GO. It's a new app where you go around catching Pokémon. I mean, you don't actually capture real Pokémon, not like they actually exist, but you catch them on your phone. So, it's kinda like they're there, but they're not really there. And it's really exciting. I've captured so many already. I even got a Pikachu yesterday heading to school. It was next to Gwen, and she was freaking out because she's been trying to catch one but can't find any. And I just captured a Dratini today on the roof of a tall building, and right now I was chasing Mew, which is why I crashed into the Avengers' window. I guess I should've been paying attention to where I was going but the thoughts of capturing Mew was just too much for me, and I kept thinking and thinking about how awesome it was gonna be when I should have been looking where I was going and--"

"Is there a Jigglypuff?"

Peter's rambling was interrupted by an unexpected question. "Uh, yeah! I have one. If you just let me catch this Mew, I'll show you my Jigglypuff."

Tony, without a word, handed Peter his phone. 

Peter let out a deep sigh as he saw the rare creature had not yet made its escape. It only took three flicks to capture it. He would save his celebration for later. Right now, Tony Stark wanted to see his Jigglypuff. (This was a statement Peter Parker never thought would enter his mind.)

"There you go." Peter raised his phone for Mr. Stark to see. 

"Astounding." Tony gazed at the pink ball with large green eyes. He clapped his hands together. "Alright, Parker. What do I have to do?"

"I'm sorry?"

"I want one. How do I go about it?"

"Oh, well, first you have to download the Pokémon GO app. And then you have to choose your style, enter your name, pick your starter. It's pretty straightforward. A tech-genius such as yourself should have no problem."

"I see." Tony already had his iPhone out and was typing in "GO" into the search bar. 

"Got it." Natasha had been on her phone during the whole discourse. "I chose Squirtle." She looked down at her phone with raised eyebrow. "I gotta go. I remembered I have to do . . . something." With that, she left, eyes still on the phone.

"I want to kill these monsters, too. Man of Spiders, show me how to 'download' on this communication device." 

"You don't kill; you ca--sure." Parker went over to Thor, careful not to touch Mjolnir for he still did not trust that hammer, and asked for his phone. 

"Parker."

Peter turned to Tony.

"I hope you don't regret what you've started."

Peter flashed him a small smile. No regrets, yet. He was just happy he had captured a Mew.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve returns from his meeting with SHIELD to find his team obsessing over these little critters on their phones. At first he finds it rather annoying and quite dangerous; however, seeing how much Tony is enjoying this newfound addiction changes Steve's perception.

Luggage in hand, he crossed the bricked passage dividing the verdant lawn in two. The trees Bruce had planted two springs ago were beginning to create their own shade. Soon they'd be able to cast their shadows on future Avengers. Just this year alone, they had officially recruited a couple of young "kids" (Peter Parker being one of them) who had needed a path to follow. And, they had followed this same path Steve was on right now. 

He paused at the big, glass double-doors leading into the Avengers tower. It's been two weeks since he'd left. Not a long time, really, but still he worried. The newer recruits had yet to be taught certain disciplines such as how to minimize destruction to the city and how to protect civilians. 

"I'm sure Tony has everything under control." Steve stepped through the automatic doors. Cool air hit his face instantly, defending him from the sun's summer shine.

Yes, he had left Tony in charge. He trusted Tony. Perhaps more so than he trusted himself. 

Sure, Tony could be destructive, self-absorbed, and immature, but he was reliable. He may act like a narcissistic jerk, but he was the most selfless man Steve had ever known. Especially when it came to his team. His family.

Unaware of the smile that had creeped on his face, Steve greeted the young, dark-haired secretary hidden behind the curved, metallic desk. She was too busy furiously tapping on her phone's screen that she missed Steve's first greeting.

"Hi." Steve said again, clapping his hands on the cold desk. 

This caused the woman to jump in her chair. "Welcome back," she acknowledged him with a shy smile as she placed the phone on the desk. "How was everything?"

"Good. Everything went great." Steve turned from her, the look on his face betraying his words. "How's everything been here?"

"Interesting."

Steve raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You'll see. A few Avengers are present, but Mr. Stark is out. Welcome back." With this final greeting, she turned to the glowing screen of her computer and began a different form of tapping, indicating the conversation was over.

"Alright." Steve gave a small _tsk_ and made his way to the elevator, reflexively pressing the button marked "12." 

Stark was out. Not unusual, but then why did he feel so disappointed.

He focused his attention back to his primary worry. The lobby seemed in order, and there was no damage visible from outside. Usually when a disaster occurred the Avengers Tower was always the first to go. Everything might be fine. His worries were unnecessary.

Still, what was with that "interesting" comment. Steve shook the thought away as the "10" lit up. 

_Time to see my team._

With a small _ding_ , the silver doors opened, and he made his way to the Avengers' floor. 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - 

He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it sure wasn't this. 

They were all fixated on their smartphones. They were walking around the room or standing in corners, their eyes always on those glowing rectangular objects. The only ones sitting on the black leather couch were Bruce, Wanda, and Clint, but even these three had their gazes directed at their pocket-sized screens. Steve shuffled to them. He choked back the question he wanted to so desperately ask and instead greeted them with a "What's all this?"

Ignoring the question, Bruce stood up and approached the Captain of the Avengers. "Hey, Steve. How did the meeting go?"

"The same way all the meetings seem to go these days."

"Not good."

"What'd you expect?" Clint added, his eyes still trained on the phone. He was now sliding his index finger across the screen. He'd curse. Then slide again. Curse. Slide. Curse. Slide. Then, a slight fist pump.

"It's about time you capture a Scyther," Wanda teased.

"Whatever, Miss Ash Ketchum," Clint joked back.

"I prefer the games, so . . . Miss Red." 

Their whole exchange occurred without either of them shifting their attention from their phones. Steve found this oddly fascinating. Still, this was no way for responsible beings to behave, especially when the whole world (no, universe!) was in their hands.

He was about to voice his opinion when

"Yes! Finally!" 

Bruce and Steve turned toward the yell that had interrupted their thoughts.

Rhodey, who was fist pumping the air, slowly brought his fist down as he noticed the pairs of eyes focused on him. The military officer cleared his throat and adjusted his collar. 

"What?" he started. "Haven't you ever seen a grown man play Pokémon before? It was a freaking Charmander! Now I have all three starters." Then, seeing as to how no response would come he added, "Whatever. There's a Ponyta downstairs anyways," and took his leave.

"I still don't understand what's happening," Steve said as he watched the elevator doors close.

"It's this new app. It's very . . . exciting. You should try it." There was a slight pause and then "Tony is really into it." With that, Bruce took his place back on the couch.

 _Tony?_ The question was now burning his tongue, but he held it back. He noticed Bruce's tired eyes and sunken shoulders. "You alright, Banner?"

He waved his hand as to assure Steve everything was fine. "I stayed up all night."

"Oh. Another experiment?"

"No, well, sort of." Steve waited for him to continue. "Vision captured an Electabuzz down in the lab, so I spent the former part of my night searching; however, I neglected the concoctions I was working on, and, well . . . it was . . . not . . . good. I spent the latter part of my lab cleaning up my mess." Then, under his breath, he added "and I didn't even get that Electabuzz."

Now, Steve was convinced this Pokémon craze was a disaster waiting to happen. And the crash that followed further assured him.

"Sorry! We'll clean that up!" 

Although Steve could not see the owner of the voice, he knew who it was and responded accordingly. "Scott. Why are you suited?"

Sam was the one that replied. "Oh, you see, Scotty wanted to Pokémon battle."

"That makes no sense," Bruce said.

"Yes it does!" Scott's voice resonated across the room.

Sam motioned for them to come. "See." He placed his phone so that all three of them could see. "This is a Rattata. And," he moved his phone a bit to the side, "there's Scotty." 

"Am I on him?" Scott called to him.

"Hold on." There was a pause as Sam concentrated on his minor task of guiding Scott Lang to the right position. "And . . . there!" A flashing sound punctuated his sentence. He exited the app and searched. Finally, he held up the phone to the two curious men. 

"That is pretty cool," Bruce said as he studied the picture that appeared to show Scott, in his Ant-Man suit, riding the Rattata. "It's amazing what technology can do nowadays."

"Yes," Steve said coldly. "How about we put this technology away and get to work?"

"Aw, come on, man!" Although he was complaining, Sam obediently placed his phone in his jean's pocket.

"Hey, send me the picture." Scott was back to his human size. He tapped Sam on the shoulder and made his way to the elevator. "Laterz!"

"Gotta go, man," Sam said as he patted Steve's arm. "You've been working out?"

"Get out of here, already." Steve smiled as he saw Sam join Scott in the elevator. "Bruce?"

"Yeah?"

"Go get some sleep."

The whole ordeal was already driving Steve insane. It was causing too many distractions that had already justified his first impression: it was only going to lead to trouble. With this, he finally asked the question that was now on his lips. "Where's Stark?"

Natasha answered him nonchalantly. "Oh, he's probably patrolling outside."

Steve, surprised by her voice for he had not seen her, turned to where he thought she was. The fact that she had been standing on the farthest corner from him didn't help his blindspot, but he managed to spot her anyhow. "Why is he outside?"

"Same reason we're inside," Natasha said, a small smile spreading across her face. For the first time since Steve had arrived, she looked up at him. "Caught Clefairy." Then, seeing that Steve was making no effort to respond, she added, "What? It was hard for me to catch." 

\- - - - - - - -

Steve walked across the freshly mowed lawn. It didn't take him long to spot the dark-haired man. He walked up to Tony, who had his back to him, with a grin on his face.

"Hey, Stark."

Tony turned around, phone in hand that he, as soon as he saw who the greeter was, quickly stuffed into his pocket. "Oh, hey, Capsicle. Nice of you to bless us with your presence." 

"Yeah, well, if the city wouldn't have taken so much damage I wouldn't have had to meet up with the heads of SHIELD."

"Those pretentious loudmouths do nothing but patronize us. They need to stop exaggerating. I thought we did good."

"A school bus was found balancing on the 16th floor of an office building," Steve said cooly. 

"First of all, the school bus was empty and the building had been evacuated by me, nonetheless. Second, that was not us . . . it was the musclehead we were fighting that went all psycho and launched that bus at me. I could have died!"

Steve let out a small sigh. There was no arguing with this man. "You're right." He saw Tony smile, relishing in his small victory. "But, the big shots don't see it that way. We have to follow procedure."

"Yeah, well, I don't see them getting their butts off of their big, comfortable chairs and fighting the baddies."

Steve put his hand on Tony's shoulder and looked into his brown eyes. The sunlight reflecting off of them reminded Steve of the whiskey Tony used to drink religiously. "Let's just try to do better next time."

Tony said nothing.

"Tony?"

"Fine," he grunted. To Steve, he sounded like a 5-year-old child being told to go to bed at a reasonable hour.

"Alright, now, what's this whole Poké-thing fixation everybody has, and why do I feel like you had something to do with it?"

"Okay, well, technically it's all Parker's fault--"

"Peter?"

"Yes. He crashed through the 12th-floor window and was all 'where's my phone? I need to capture a Mew.' And--"

"Wait, what?" 

"I know! So unfair. He breaks _my_ window and ruins _my_ building, and he still has the audacity to capture a Mew on _my_ turf. Meanwhile, I've been out here for days and can't even see signs of one."

"No, no, that's not what I--Peter. Is he okay? What happened?" 

"Huh? Oh, yeah. He's fine. Nothing he couldn't fix with a thread and needle. My building on the other hand . . ."

"Alien invasions, a humanity-despising robot with artificial intelligence, and even a war; who would've thought that the death of the Avengers would come at the hands of a little kids' game."

"Wow, Cap. You're finally acting your age. Want me to make you some oatmeal?"

Steve smirked at Tony's comment. A small breeze rustled through the now-short grass and passed through Tony's hair causing a small ruffle. They stood there taking in the sounds of the city: cars passing by, people muttering into their phones, and the honking of impatient drivers. 

A tapping sound invaded the city sounds.

_tap tap tap tap_

"Well, well, well. If it isn't our lawyer. Let me guess, this old geezer gave you a call?"

"Nice to see you, too, Mr. Stark. Captain." The man wearing a light gray suit complimented with a black tie approached the two men and gave them a slight nod. His dark circular frames met with Steve's and Tony's eyesight. 

"Anything, Mr. Murdock?" Steve said after returning the nod (he knew it wasn't necessary, but his politeness didn't discriminate).

"I had a talk with the mayor, and, so far, we seem to have reached an agreement. Fogg--Nelson is printing out the transcript. Miss Page will have it delivered to you tomorrow."

"Great. Uh, may I interest you in some coffee or something?" Steve offered.

"No, thanks. I was actually in the neighborhood on other business, and I heard you and Mr. Stark talking."

"Business? You catching Pokémon, too, Matty?" Tony would not be left out of any conversation.

Matt flashed him a toothy smile. "If you're referring to the whole Pokémon GO craze, then no. I'm not properly 'equipped' for that type of thing."

"Oh, come on. I'm pretty sure you'll figure it out. I mean, you figured out how to do 'other things' even with your handicap."

Matt's heart began to beat faster. "I'm not sure I quite understand."

"No. Of course you don't. I should probably have made myself clearer. What I mean is that you engage in certain late-night activities that people in your situation usually don't partake in." A heavy silence fell for a few seconds. Seeing that Matt was not going to reply to his suspicion, Tony took advantage of his upperhand. "You know, this game doesn't discriminate. They have Pokémon of all colors. Some have no arms. Others have no legs. And there's this bat-like creature--a Zubat--that is literally 'blind as a bat.' He has no eyes. He's perfect for you."

Matt chuckled at this. He was used to Tony's jabs, but today he felt a bit uncomfortable. This teasing was more accusatory than usual.

Tony pulled out his phone. He turned his attention from Matt to Steve. "See this little guy right here." Steve nodded. "That's a Bulbasaur. I named him Hulk because he turns into a huge, hideous, green monster like Bruce. I like to name all my Pokémon after 'interesting' characters. This Porygon is Vision. Eevee is Spidey. Pikachu is Mjolnir while Machamp is Thor. And, this, this Zubat--what's his name there, Cap?"

Steve looked to where Tony's finger pointed and read the word under the icon of the bluish bat. "Daredevil." 

"Perfect fit, no?" Tony had been focusing on Matt's expression hoping for any slight hint of discomfort. Matt held his ground, though. No signs of distress were visible on his face nor body. 

"I don't see the connection," Matt uttered at last.

"Yeah, I guess you don't. Huh." Tony studied the cool man for a short while. "I have this hypothesis that the 'hero' we know as Daredevil is quite possibly 'blind as a Zubat.'"

"What makes you think that?"

"Just my own fantasies, I guess."

"Well, I'm sorry to have taken so much of your time. I must go now." Matt gave them a slight nod. The tapping of his cane started up once again. 

"Be careful out there," Tony called after him. "Don't stay out too late. The night is full of crazy characters."

Matt made no motion that indicated he had heard Tony's warning.

None of the two men spoke until Matt was out of sight. It was Steve that broke the silence. "Did you have to do that?"

"What?" Tony said innocently.

"Why are you so Hell-bent on him being Daredevil?"

"Because he is. My tech doesn't lie. He wants to act all innocent and lawyer-like, let him. But, I know who he really is; I just wish I had his confirmation."

Steve shifted the conversation back to the matter at hand. "I don't want them to keep playing that game when they're on alert."

"You worry too much. Live a little." Tony patted him on his shoulder and began to walk away, phone already in his palm. 

"Tony." 

"Gotta go, Cap. There's a Mew around here somewhere with my name on it!"

Steve, defeated, headed back into the tower.

\- - - - - - - - -

Steve made his way to the dining hall the next morning. The stress of their last battle was beginning to die down. With his biggest problem being a mobile game, he had been able to enjoy his slumber. He had had a restful sleep, the first in over two weeks. 

"Morning." 

"Good morning." Steve set his platter of scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, and toast next to Peter who was enjoying a bowl of some colorful, sugar-filled cereal. "No homework?"

"It's Saturday. I don't have to worry about homework-on-the-weekend until college."

Steve hesitated before saying, "Tony told me that you started the Pokémon craze among the Avengers."

Mouth full of food, he mumbled, "Oh, yeah." He gulped down the sugary flakes. "I already captured all 151 Pokémon and beat a few gyms. But, there's one thing that I want more than anything."

"What's that?"

"I want to beat Tony Stark."

"What?"

Peter pushed his empty bowl aside. "It turns out that, for some strange reason, the roof of the Avengers Tower is a Pokémon gym, and Tony claimed it. Now nobody can beat him. He has an extremely powerful Mewtwo, and even with my Mew, I can't beat him."

There was that Mew again.

"Still," Peter continued. "It's great to see him so happy."

"Happy?" Steve repeated.

"Yeah! He hasn't even touched the bar. Not even a glass of wine with his dinner." 

"Really?"

"Yep. I've never seen him this happy."

Peter had only known Tony for a fraction of what Steve's known him for, but he had gotten on thing right: Tony had not been this happy. Ever since Pepper left him, Tony had been deteriorating. It was rare for a day to go by without alcohol entering Tony's body, or to see him fully rested and alert. And, if it weren't for Vision constantly being on watch, Tony would forget to eat meals and take care of his personal hygiene.

But, he did seem happier now. Yesterday, when they spoke, Tony's excitement was not a façade. He was not deceiving him with his actions nor lying with his words. No. He was genuinely happy. 

And, Steve wanted to be a part of this happiness.

"Teach me," he told Peter.

Taken aback, Peter stammered a "Wh-What? Wha-What do you m-mean?"

"I want to join the craze. Teach me how to Pokémon."

Peter, seeing the seriousness in Steve's eyes, stood up from his seat. "Yes! I'd be honored. Oh, man, I have so many things to teach you. There are so many tips and hints. I just gotta get my thoughts in order. I need my notebook. Okay. Hold on. Yes. I'll be right back!" Before Steve could say anything else, Peter dashed out the hall.

"I'm starting to regret this already," Steve murmured. He stood up and made his way down the halls of the enormous tower. Everywhere he looked he saw the same image.

People walking with their eyes glued to the glowing screens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so reasons as to the connections Tony made: Bulbasaur is Bruce because they're both green and nature-related. Mark Ruffalo is a climate-guy who protects nature and the Earth, so I figure Bruce would be the same way. Bulby is a plant. Easy connection. Porygon is Vision because they're both "computer generated" beings. Pikachu is Mjolnir because lightning and Machamp is Thor because of their body...they're pretty damn buff. Zubat is Daredevil because Matt is blind and Zubat literally has no eyes. They rely on sound to get around. And, Eevee is Spidey because they both have many evolutions. Eevee has evolutions like Umbreon, Flareon, Vaporeon, Espeon, etc., and Spidey has the black-suit (or Venom) Spidey, Iron Spider, Miles Morales Spidey, etc.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve enters the Pokémon world!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me a while to get this chapter up. It's the last one, so I wanted to properly wrap everything up. Thank you so much for the support. Hope you guys enjoy. :)

"Okay. So, first you need an upgrade."

Steve stared at the young boy blankly.

"I mean, you need a new phone. A smartphone." He reached for his pack and began digging through it. "Here," he said as he tossed Steve a rectangular object. "It's my Aunt May's old iPhone. She got a new one a while back and gave me her old one. I'm more of an Android person myself, though. Which is good news for you."

Steve studied the thing in his hands. He flipped it over and touched the smooth, mirrored, back.

"Do you know how to use it?"

"I'm familiar with the process, yes. Sam taught me. I just never went out of my way to actually purchase one."

Peter let out a small sigh of relief. This would save him the trouble of teaching him the basics. "Okay. So, let's set it up."

\- - - - - - -

It took them a couple of hours to properly set up the phone with the appropriate data plan and carrier. Peter realized that Steve was not the one to make unnecessary purchases. He'd nitpick every offer presented before him and asked many questions before finally settling on something. Although it annoyed him, Peter admired Steve's focus and relentlessness. He smiled as he showed Steve the procedure one goes through when setting up an Apple product. 

Steve went through the steps with ease. This was actually easier than he had anticipated. Perhaps his age hadn't caught up to him, yet.

 _Tony would've been surprised_ , he caught himself thinking and quickly shook the thought away. (Peter noticed this but said nothing. He didn't want to question the Captain of the Avengers.)

"Okay so you need to enter your email. You do have one, right?"

"Of course."

Peter had illustrated how to download apps, eased by the fact that Steve was somewhat familiar with this process as well; he had managed to download the Pokemon GO app by himself.

The next steps were completed without a hitch (except for the fact that many variations of the "Captain America" username were taken, so he settled on "Nomad").

"Now you're ready to catch 'em all."

"I feel childish."

"It's all in good fun." Peter flashed him a smile, the one a little boy gives his mother as he reassures her he'll be fine spending the night at his best friend's house.

\- - - - - - - - - 

The stray leaves crunched under his sneakers. It'd been one week since Peter had taught him how to "Pokémon," and his level had surpassed that of some of the other Avengers already. He had even joined Team Valor. He hated to admit it, but this game had ended up being far more addicting than he'd expected. It was all about catching creatures with powers, which he took under his wing to train and help become stronger. Isn't that what he already did on a daily basis?

He had been on one of his daily jogs when a vibration coursed through his body. The compass was indicating that there was one of those little creatures around. And, that compass had lead him to the middle of the park where children were running around playing God-knows-what while others slid down the static-inducing slide or pushed each other on the breeze-causing swings.

Steve studied his situation. That Pokémon creature was somewhere in this kid-chaotic world. He could go in there and catch it, but he was already receiving stares from some of the parents guarding their children. One of those said parents was already in the process of approaching him. Steve glanced down at his phone again and turned the other way.

"It's just a Zubat anyway. I already have 6 of those." He made his way back to the track, hesitated, crossed the path, and continued walking back home to the Avengers Tower.

\- - - - - - - - -

"What are you doing?" Bucky was observing the blond man pacing around the building with his phone right in front of him. He had seen a similar sight before. Back when they were kids, about a hundred years ago, Bucky had given Steve a compass for Christmas, and Steve had spent many weeks with the compass on his palm, always staring at it. It was as if he could only move when the compass told him to. It wasn't until some older (and bigger) boys had ripped it out of his hands and smashed it into the ground with their size 7 winter boots that Steve stopped depending on the compass for any form of direction. After Bucky had found out what happened, Steve had begged him not to interfere. Bucky agreed. Still, the sadness he saw in Steve's reassuring smile fueled his anger, he went out and sought vengeance without Steve's knowledge.

"Catching Pokémon. There's some sort of big, snake-like creature around here, but I can't find it." Steve never looked up from his phone.

"I thought you said you were going on a run."

"I did. I caught six more during." He gave Bucky a small grin that Bucky could not help but reply to with his own smile.

He sighed. It seemed that sometimes Steve was still that little, puny kid who couldn't (or wouldn't) fight back. And Bucky had to protect him. "That doesn't sound safe."

"I'm good at multitasking."

"I don't understand this world." With that, he walked away leaving Steve in his own Pokémon World.

Steve continued his journey around the tall building focusing on the compass at the top right corner of his screen. "You're supposed to be around here some--Aha! Found it. Dragonair. So that's who you are. Wow. You're a pretty strong little guy, aren't ya?" Steve, aware that he was talking to an inanimate object in his hand, looked around and, satisfied that nobody had heard him, headed into the Avengers Tower.

He went past the sliding doors when he felt the familiar vibration of his iPhone. He looked at the shadowed-creature. Another one he didn't have. It was unusual for one shadowed-creature to show up, but two in a row? Additionally, there was something about this shadow that seemed familiar. Steve turned toward the direction the compass pointed him to and broke into a slight jog.

\- - - - - - - - - - -

"The electric rodent has mutated. Haha!" Thor's booming voice welcomed Steve to the floor.

"Your Pikachu's a Raichu now? Awesome!" Peter headed over and took a seat next to Thor on the big, black leather couch. Both members of Team Instinct, they were usually seen together strengthening their Pokémon and thinking up strategies to overtake Tony's gym (who had claimed it for Team Mystic). 

_I have 3 Raichus and 2 Pikachus_ , Steve thought smugly, a grin had spread on his face.

If anybody was going to claim the gym, it was going to be Team Valor. He hadn't publicly stated that he had begun his Pokémon journey, but certain individuals (such as Peter, Bucky, and Sam) were aware and shared some information with him. He knew, for example, which teams the Avengers had chosen to align with. His comrades consisted of Bruce (who had briefly associated with Team Mystic), Sam, and Wanda.

Team Mystic, lead by none other than Tony Stark, consisted of Vision, Natasha, Rhodey, and Clint (who joined after Natasha had a few choice words with him).

Team Instinct, with only Peter, Thor, and Scott, had the least members of the three; however, it seemed that those three emanated more excitement than the rest of the Avengers altogether.

"Hey, Tony." Tony was seated at the bar with no drink in hand, Steve had proudly noticed. He sat on the barstool next to him.

"One moment." Tony raised up his index finger to indicate he was busy.

After a few seconds that felt like hours to Steve, Tony finally uttered some words. "Another Poliwag. As if I didn't already have enough of those." He looked away from his phone and turned to Steve. "What's up, Cap?"

Steve flashed him a wide grin that slightly revealed the whites of his teeth. 

"Are you gonna tell me or do I have to ask Vision to perform an--"

Tony was interrupted by Steve's glowing screen. He held the smartphone close to Tony's face, his thumb halfway across the screen partially blocking half of it from Tony's big, brown eyes. It's okay, the thing he wanted Tony to see was still visible. 

"You got a smartphone? About time you joined us in the 21st cent--"

"Look closely." Steve's grin grew wider.

"Hm? Oh, it's a Pokémon. You decided to submit to the hype after al--" Tony's eyes widened and his lips slightly parted. "Is that--"

Steve was enjoying hearing Tony's incomplete sentences, so he responded with another grin.

"How did you get a Mew?! I can't get a Mew! This is _MY_ building! I--I hate you."

"Sure you do."

"That's not fair. I've been trying to capture one for weeks. Why do you--How did--this is not fair."

"I guess I have more skill than you."

"Oh! Screw you. I bet Peter helped you cheat."

"For the last time, I did not cheat!" Peter's voice, which came from across the room, was ignored by the two men.

"Cheat?" Steve said. He enjoyed seeing Tony in this state.

"Yes. That's the only logical explanation. You two are cheating. Peter probably hacked the system or something. I wouldn't put it past him."

"I DIDN'T!" They continued to ignore the boy.

"You're just mad because you can't find one."

"I am _mad_ because you're cheating." Tony pointed an accusing finger at Steve.

"It's not cheating if you're good."

"When did you even get a smartphone?" Tony reached for the phone in Steve's hands.

"Last week. No, wait--Tony!" Steve had tried wrestling the phone away from Tony, but the smaller man was too slick, and now he watched as Tony's fingers scrolled down the glowing screen.

"You expect me to believe that you caught all 151 Pokémon in one week. 376!" Tony stared at the total number of Pokémon in Steve's Pokédex. "How did you catch 376 Pokémon in one week?" 

Steve's face turned a slight shade of pink. "I, I haven't slept as much as I usually do. Or done pretty much anything else . . . besides catch Pokémon."

"Unbelievable."

Steve looked over at him to see him smiling. He smiled, too. "Well, I got into it. It was fun."

Tony's smile disappeared. "Um, Steve?"

_Oh no_

"What's this?"

Steve didn't have to look to know why he had asked that question. This is why he hadn't wanted Tony to seize control of his phone. Feeling his face turn a darker shade of pink, Steve turned his back to Tony. "I was just--it's because, well, I knew you wanted one, so I just--"

"You named your Mew after me?" Tony continued examining the ever-elusive Pokémon, the one he couldn't seem to snag. With his finger, he traced the letters that indicated this Pokémon's name: Stark. 

He had made another observation, and now he decided to question this one, too. "You didn't name your other Pokémon."

With this slight change of subject, Steve mustered enough courage to face Tony once again. "Yeah, well, I feel that that strips them of who they are. It's stupid, but I don't want to force them into an identity."

Tony snickered. "That is so you, Cap." Slight pause, and then, "Why me? I mean, why did you name your Mew after me, then?"

"Well, Mew is a special case. It's the rarest Pokémon, or at least that's what I'm told, so it's special. And, I know how much you want it. I guess, this was my way of giving it to you."

The silence was deafening. Steve waited for Tony to respond. His heart pounded against his chest, and he felt himself break into a cold sweat. 

Tony reached into his pocket and brought out his iPhone. He fiddled with it for a minute, then offered it to Steve. 

Steve, confused, remained still. 

"Look," Tony urged him. "I named one of mine after you, too. Of course, I, uhh, well, my theme was naming my Pokémon after weirdos like us, so it's not that special. I mean, most of us rename them, anyway. Bruce names them after the organism they were based off of, Natasha after their Japanese name, Thor after gods or aliens or whatever his family is, and Scott after cartoon characters. So, it's really no big deal."

Tony was undermining the importance of it, though. Steve now saw that it truly was a "big deal" in a way. The Pokémon Tony had named after him was--

"Jigglypuff?"

"Yeah, well, you're both full of hot air, and you're the same shade of pink as it."

"And, it's your favorite." Steve gave him a shy smile.

"Well, yeah, but that's not why I chose to name it that."

Tony was being so defensive that even Matt Murdock would be able to see through him.

"Tony," Steve started.

"What?"

"I--There's something I want--I have--to tell you."

Tony remained quiet.

"I've been wanting to tell you this for a while, but I couldn't. I probably should have, and I was going to tell you when I got back but seeing how happy you were . . . I didn't want to ruin it."

Tony waited for him to continue. It was unusual for him to remain quiet during any conversation, but he had to know what Steve had in mind. Perhaps, he felt the same way he did. No, it couldn't be. Him and Steve? That'd be so . . . so what? Tony hadn't been in a relationship ever since Pepper left, and, frankly, he was sure that Steve had not been in a relationship since ever, so, perhaps, this wouldn't be so unwonted.

Seeing Tony remain quiet throughout the ordeal was agonizing, but Steve took in a deep breath and continued. "I just want to tell you that . . . I will claim this gym for Team Valor!"

Tony, taken aback by the sudden change in tone, remained frozen for a while before a smile overtook his face. "You can try all you want, Capsicle, but if Parker over there couldn't do it, what chance is there that you will?"

"In a week I managed to fill up my Pokédex. I think I can manage to conquer you . . . and your gym." Steve added this last part after a slight pause that he hoped Tony didn't notice.

"Um, you guys?" Peter was walking up to them, phone in hand.

"You'll never be able to do it." Peter's words had not reached Tony's ears.

"I'll take it over in three days. Tops." Nor Steve's.

"You guys?"

"Three days? Wow. You are really full of yourself, aren't you?" Deaf ears again.

"Um?"

"What? What's with that 'um'?" Finally, somebody had heard him. If only Tony's impatience wasn't what had acknowledged him he'd be more comfortable stating the next thing.

"Well," Peter paused. There was no easy way to phrase this, "you're no longer the gym leader . . ."

"What do you mean I'm no longer the gym leader?"

Peter shyly raised his phone, the screen raised so that Tony could see the new finding.

Tony glared at the screen. "Who the Hell is MisRep1216?" He looked around at the company surrounding him. Each of them a possible enemy. "Who is MisRep1216?!" he repeated louder.

Goosebumps traveled down Steve's skin. 

"What?" Peter noticed Steve's slight trembling. 

"Nothing. I just--I felt like I heard that before? I think I just experienced déjà vu."

"You know, they say that when you experience something like that it's because the 'you' of an alternate universe went through a circumstance where they encountered that situation."

"Really?" Steve said incredulously.

"Yeah, you see, it's like our world exists right here, but there are others tha--"

"I don't care about that right now. My gym was overtaken, and frankly, I don't believe in any of that." Tony had been questioning the other Avengers, but seeing that the conversation had shifted had sparked indignation.

"That's what you said about God, and you have one sitting on your couch." Peter pointed at his Team Valor teammate. 

"Yeah, well, that god is excited about an electric, yellow rat."

"He's orange now!" Thor countered.

"Whatever!" Tony took a deep breath. "Look, my gym was overtaken by this guy, Mis-whatever, and I just want to know who it is."

They all stared at one another waiting for somebody to own up.

When nobody did, Tony's patience, whatever little remained, disappeared. "Really? Is nobody going to fess up to this? Nobody?!"

The sound of the elevator doors splitting open interrupted the silence that now hang over the room as no one dared to speak.

"Hey. What's going on?" Bucky made his way next to Steve.

"What's going on? I'll tell you what's going on. Somebody took my gym away. And, they don't want to come clean."

"Your gym? You mean the one guarded by the Mewtwo?"

Tony nodded in agreement. 

"Oh. Well, $tarkI$IronMan, your Mewtwo was a formidable opponent. But, in the end, my Ditto was stronger. Team Instinct, for the win."

Tony, mouth agape, watched as Bucky walked back toward the elevator. 

Bucky turned before disappearing behind the metallic doors. "Steve! Before I forget, the lawyer called. He said it was urgent."

"Thanks, Bucky." He gave him a half-wave before the sliding doors engulfed him.

"Yes!" Peter cheered as he offered Thor a high five. The resounding slap was louder than Peter had anticipated, and the strength behind it was even more unanticipated. Peter rubbed his throbbing hand as he examined for any broken bones.

"What are you two so happy about?"

"Well, Team Instinct just took over your gym. That's one more victory for us."

"Yeah, well, it's not gonna be your gym for long. I'm getting it back."

"Not if I get it first." Steve gave Tony a small smirk.

"No way." Tony got closer to Steve, their faces only a few inches apart. "I'd rather die."

"We'll see about that." Although they were rivals, Steve couldn't help but admire Tony Stark. His resiliency and dedication were remarkable, but he was also physically appeasing. His dark hair and brown eyes perfectly complimented his light skin. 

"What's wrong, Cap?" Tony had noticed Steve's lingering eyes.

"Just relishing in this moment for as long as I can. Your smugness has all but disappeared," Steve teased.

Tony pulled away from Steve and made his way to the elevator. "Vision! Get out here! We have Pokémon to train. I'm getting that gym back!"

Steve watched as Tony punched the elevator buttons. He seemed frustrated, but, right before the doors fully concealed his face, Steve swore that he saw a slight smile cross Tony's face.


End file.
